Minneapolis, MN vs Mobile, AL
Moving from Minneapolis to Mobile? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $197,857 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Mobile at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $85,078 in Mobile, AL (−$14,922).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Mobile, AL: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 5,181 sqft in Mobile ($219 vs $97 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Mobile, AL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $15,876 | −$4,776 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,729 | −$498 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,465 | +$90 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,884 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,400 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $9,039 | −$7,306 |
| Total | $49,575 | $37,393 | −$12,182 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Mobile, AL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 88.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.05 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $197,857 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $97 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,323 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 9.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $7,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 0.70% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 33 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |